Unacceptable! Media Paints Zimmerman As Victim

As the evidence continues to roll out in the Travyon Martin case, self-appointed Neighborhood Watch captain George Zimmerman and his defense team are undoubtedly taking the information released by Special Prosecutor Angela Corey’s office as an opportunity to frame the unarmed teen as a lawless thug. But if the facts released so far in this case are clearly assessed, all signs point to Zimmerman being the initiator of the events that led to the teenager’s untimely death. Here, NewsOne looks at the many reasons why — no matter what mainstream media would like to have you believe — Zimmerman’s case and the character assassination of Trayvon is fraught with a number of holes:

1) Zimmerman was ordered by police to stay in his vehicle but did not heed that order. This fact alone has been the hallmark of the case from the onset. Had Zimmerman listened to the instructions from people far more qualified than he was, Trayvon would still be alive.

Zimmerman pursued Martin — and in an apparent scuffle (where Martin had the right to defend himself) — he seemed to lose the upper hand, killing the boy with a close proximity gunshot to the chest, according to the latest reports. There was also evidence of a fight between the two, and photos of a bloodied Zimmerman, supposedly corroborating his story that he was being beaten and used his weapon in self-defense.

Want to Keep Up With NewsOne.com? LIKE Us On Facebook!

Simply put, Zimmerman was getting whooped up on and couldn’t take the heat so he did the most cowardly thing possible and shot an unarmed kid.

2) Sanford police displayed the incompetence of novices. Try as they may, the Sanford police cannot avoid their involvement in ruining this case and levying an injustice upon the Martin family. Not only did police not secure proper evidence, such as a series of photos of Zimmerman’s injuries from the fight with Martin, they also failed in putting his vehicle in the evidence pile since that’s where he made the call to 911, when Zimmerman reportedly noticed the teen ambling about in the neighborhood. An officer took one measly photo of Zimmerman on a cellphone camera (Trayvon’s cell is pictured above) and didn’t upload it until several days later. Police also didn’t keep the scene intact and protected from rain and the elements, essentially tainting the entire area.

Sanford police officials fumbled greatly in their response to the shooting. Zimmerman’s claims of self-defense and invoking the “Stand Your Ground” law have swung the case into limbo, assisted by the lacking efforts of investigators on the scene.

3) Trayvon Martin’s reported weed use does not justify his killing. The media rabidly attacked Trayvon Martin’s school suspension due to being caught with a bag of marijuana, although several accounts from friends and others say that Martin was not a violent kid and was considered a decent student by his instructors. If smoking weed is a crime, many so-called pillars of the community should be struck down as well for their marijuana-fueled dalliances as teenagers. The medical examiner’s report that THC was found in Martin’s system became headline news this week, an unnecessary by-product of the highly sensationalized case.

Marijuana may be largely illegal, but it is hardly a precursor to a life of crime. Nor does it incite fits of violent rage in boys simply trying to go home to watch a basketball game with his family.

4) Pulling a page from Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin — and any human being — has the right to defend him or herself. Say what you will of that night, Zimmerman was an unknown to Martin. In a world where young people are kidnapped and sexually assaulted by older men, you simply can’t run up on someone these days without good cause or proper protocol. According to the girlfriend of Trayvon Martin, who was on the phone with him before he perished, Martin felt that he was being followed. And considering it was dark, he reportedly darted off to avoid confrontation in the pursuit.

Zimmerman confronted the boy and had the added and hidden confidence of his firearm to aid him. Although witness accounts are scant and conflicting, it’s not hard to assume that Martin didn’t take kindly to being chased and cornered. With Martin getting the best of Zimmerman, again according to witness accounts, Zimmerman should have taken the fair one and waited for the cops.

It is unconscionable that much of the media is trying to justify Zimmerman’s killing of Trayvon by saying that evidence shows Trayvon didn’t go down without a fight. In this case, it is unacceptable that Trayvon fighting for his life would somehow place a halo over Zimmerman’s head. In the end, he pulled the trigger and that is what should be focused on.

At the core of the case is this: a 28-year-old law enforcement hopeful played cowboy for a night and got beaten up by what he felt was some random thug. It is very likely that his ego couldn’t take being beaten, so it is easy to imagine that he shot the boy to save face.

Defense attorney Mark O’Mara will likely try to use details about Trayvon’s life that simply don’t matter, delving deep into the personal life of a teenaged boy still trying to find himself. Maybe Trayvon wasn’t perfect, but who can make that claim at the age of 17?

One fact is clear: George Zimmerman is a murderer and a coward who deserves not one bit of mercy. With hope, justice will prevail in this case.